The bank had a major glitch on its hands… a glitch that had us locked out for an entire day.

Had the markets been crashing… had we needed to move a large chunk of cash… had we merely wanted to buy a cheap stock… we were out of luck.

Fortunately, we were prepared.

It was a similar situation for Wells Fargo customers last week. Folks who rely on the bank to automatically pay their bills were shaken when the bank charged them multiple times for the same transaction.

In many cases, it led to overdraft fees, card rejections and zero (or even negative) balances.

But we’re glad it happened.

It’s made folks think – a rare exercise these days…

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As their accounts we’re locked and their savings disappeared, they were forced to ponder just what in the world they’d do if the system went down.

We recommend a simple, 10-minute solution.

Start a backup checking account.

We’ve had one for years. It ensures that a big problem at a bank won’t be a big problem for us.

If one system goes down (which seems to happen more and more often these days), we merely log into our backup account.

Implementing the idea takes just a few minutes. Simply start an account with another bank or broker and fund it with your emergency cash.

We recommend enough money to cover your essentials for six months.

Wealth Protection

There are some key ideas to consider when selecting a backup bank.

If your everyday account doesn’t offer branch services – e.g., web-based banks like ING or Ally Bank – use a bank that has a brick-and-mortar branch nearby. That way you have a much better shot at accessing some physical cash if we see a widespread problem with the web.

And since your backup account won’t be all that active (hopefully), be sure to find a bank that has low fees and, ideally, a decent interest rate.

But don’t think this strategy is merely for folks weary of web-based banking.

As scary as it is to have our wealth stored on a vulnerable server in the basement of some faraway bank, there are plenty of other risks.

A backup account will be invaluable if your identity is stolen, if your bank card is swiped or if your own computer is hacked.

Plus, in a dire emergency, a backup account doubles the amount of cash you can withdraw in a day.

Remember, some banks limit daily withdrawals to figures as low as $5,000 or even a mere $1,000. If you need a stack of cash fast (remember, that’s your money they’re putting a limit on), a backup account will come in quite handy.

Our monetary system has never been more vulnerable.

Nearly every week we’re waking up to some new glitch.

It’s only a matter of time until big money disappears.

A backup account ensures you won’t be a victim.

If you don’t have one… start shopping around today.

P.S. You won’t hear a peep about this from Washington. That’s because our elected officials love the idea of an all-digital monetary system. And it’s easy to see why…

What better way to control a population than to have easy access to its wealth?